The 3Dvarius design team, which includes violinist Laurent Bernacac, set out to meet the demands of serious players. However, the primary parts of the instrument that make the sound – the strings, the bridge, etc – were not printed. Plus, it’s an electric, not an acoustic instrument. So, most of what you hear has little to do with the 3-D printed design. Electric violins have been around for a while. Mark Woods, co-creator of the progressive rock band Trans Siberian Orchestra and founder of Woods Violins, has been in the business of making high-end electric violins and other stringed instruments for 25 years. Because the instruments are electric, they can come in body designs as diverse as the people playing them. There is a great amount of creative and technical thinking that goes into any electric instrument. How it looks and how it sounds, though, are not necessarily related.



French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac plays the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)





French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac plays the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)





French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac poses with the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)





French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac poses with the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)





French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac poses with the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)





Details are seen as French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac poses with the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. The words read “Music is art”. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)





French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac plays the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)





French engineer and professional violinist Laurent Bernadac poses with the “3Dvarius”, a 3D printed violin made of transparent resin, during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, September 11, 2015. (Photo by Christian Hartmann/Reuters)